Assignment 0 - Bad Design

Product: BBQ pit Shelter @ a Condo

Bad design: Open air-styled shelter

Users: Susan & Fern
Scenario:

• Vespa Club Singapore organized a BBQ gathering @ the Condo
• 22nd Dec 07, 1800 - 2200hrs
• It rained heavily from 1630 till 1845hrs
• Users are asked to recall the experience during the gathering
• They will also base their comments on a similar BBQ gathering (which did not rain) that was held on the previous year

Users' reactions are as follows(direct quotes):

a) Feelings towards products

i) Susan

• Ventilation is good, if no rain
• Best if no shelter at all (she was commenting this as she feels that the shelter did not serve its "purpose", which is providing cover)
• Sucked

ii) Fern

• Good for non rainy days, but does not cater for bbq during rainy days
• The metal grills above the pits, provides good ventilation, however, it also allows for rain water to seep through

iii) @lvin

• Useful if it does not rain
• Helps to filter off direct sunlight (for day BBQ)
• Should inplace glass panels or retractable shutters in the event of rain
• Not user-friendly
• Cause extreme inconvenience in the event of rain

b) Lessons learnt from the product

i) Susan

• Will use it again, provided no rain lor

ii) Fern

• Only certain areas under the shelter can ward off the rain. And that the structure is only good for non rainy days

iii) @lvin

• To always plan for contigency plan when organizing a BBQ at the condo
• Book a function room in advance to cater for wet weather

c) Impression of brand (developers of the condo)

i) Susan

• Bad designer / contractor
• Whoever built that has no experience with BBQ

ii) Fern

• Overall good pit design, but the shelter is not catered for rainy days

iii) @lvin

• Unfavourable
• Failed to weigh all factors when building the structure

Summary

• Although we live in an equatorial country, the occassion rainy days and the seasonal raining period during the year will make the shelter a badly designed product
• BBQ sessions are often hard to come by, difficult to organize, and a time whereby family and peers gather for some fun and laughter. Thus, cancelling a session due to rain is rather uncalled for, especially when the venue is at a premium condominium and when a "shelter" is provided

Solutions

1. A "dual role" shelter (for either sunny and rainy days), that has shutters that can be user-controlled depending on weather
2. Upgrade the current shelter by installing glass or aluminium panels to the existing metal panels
3. Installing a BBQ shelter that is weatherproof, using materials such as concrete, bricks, glass or decorated zinc sheets

A simple flash demo showcasing Solution 1